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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26372161">can you be the raft? in the eye of the storm?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/juwude/pseuds/juwude'>juwude</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bloodborne (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Pining, Pre-Slash, Religious Guilt, Repression, its adellas., the dweller and eileen are just there for like a moment, vague mentions of canon typical side-eyeing towards sex work, which is also adellas</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 07:27:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,036</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26372161</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/juwude/pseuds/juwude</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Amidst the chaos outside, Adella finds herself drawn to one in need.</p><p>An AU where when the blood moon descends, Adella's wits stay about her.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adella/Arianna Woman of Pleasure</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hi welcome to my niche. 5 years ive been into bloodborne and ive thought about arianna/adella ever since, and ive finally written something for them! yaaay me</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Adella awakens, not entirely sure when she'd fallen asleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The dull hum in the back of her head that was present before she slept had not subsided, but she's thankful to find it had not worsened.  The moon turning red had done something to her. Not just her, however. Assumedly, it’d done something to everything. The hunt outside rages, possibly getting worse- she doesn’t dare look, but if the sound is anything to go by… well. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She glances around her, curling her knees in further on herself as she eyes the rest of them. The man who’d done nothing but spit venom at all of them looked fine as ever, and the old woman had calmed down considerably from her prior sobbing state. She looks far from well, however, instead wearing a ghostly expression of a solemn acceptance. It unsettles her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A pained groan rings out, low and missable amidst the groans of the night outside. But it does not come from the outside- instead, the sound brings her eyes to the… well, Adella doesn't have polite words for what she is. She knows exactly what she is and what she does, familiar with the concept from the higher members of the church. They often went on excursions to women like her, to teach them the errors of their sinning ways one-on-one. A noble cause, always, but this one had seemingly not been reached before the hunt began. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And now she sits where she always does, but something is clearly amiss. She usually seems rather relaxed in her seat, almost laid out in comfort with her back to all the chapel exits. But now she is practically laid over, head buried in the crook of her against the arm of the chair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It is… an alarming sight. She'd always seemed the most rational of them all (despite her… occupation, and aside from Adella herself, of course), so to see her suddenly in some sort of state… it makes Adella clutch her rosary a bit harder. Surely she could not be… one of </span>
  <em>
    <span>them</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, of course not. The incense would have long sent her fleeing, were that the case… right? Right. Of course.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She keeps watching her anyways from behind her pillar, tenses anytime the woman makes another pained sound.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though the more she watches her, the more… </span>
  <em>
    <span>pity</span>
  </em>
  <span> Adella begins to feel. Though unsaved</span>
  <span>, that does not mean the poor woman should be suffering. Perhaps there was something Adella could do for her?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shakes her head to vanquish the thought. What could she offer in these times? Trying to convert her to the more holy ways of the church while the woman so agonized would surely get her shoo'd away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another fit of pain seems to wrack the woman, her breathing shaking audibly. She glances at the other two near her- the old woman doesn't move an inch, while the man stares daggers at the back of her chair. So Adella was the only one concerned… would none of them even attempt to check on her? She holds little hope for Yharnam outside these walls- this hunt is different then those that came before. The idea the Healing Church is coming for them still holds strong, of course, but how many others have they saved? Surely in such troubling times they should not leave any of their own to suffer? How many of the townsfolk are left, aside from them? She doesn't hold much hope to the idea that number is high. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adella settles on her decision. Perhaps there is not much she can do for the woman, and unsaved as she might be, she is still an inhabitant of Yharnam, and Adella is a member of the church. And the church offers help to those in need.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>… That said, her legs still shake when she stands up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She creeps up slowly, still a bit afraid that at any moment the woman would stand and flee from the chapel, out of the effects of the incense and morph into one of the beasts ravaging Yharnam outside. But the woman does not twitch like she will do so as Adella ascends the final step of the staircase.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Swallowing her fears and keeping her hands tightly together against her chest, she opens her mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Exc-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman jumps so hard that it makes Adella jump in turn, the saint immediately pressing her clasped hands even further against herself and shrinking back from the now at-attention woman before her. She instantly relaxes, unlike Adella, and offers her a shaky smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah, Lady Saint. Forgive me, I…" She takes a shaky breath. "I hadn't heard you approach." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looks… well, Adella hadn't ever seen her up close like this. Her face is rather lovely, soft and pointed all at once. It shines with a sick sweat, pallid in the low-light.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, I- I don't mean to bother, I simply-" She struggles over her words. Luckily for her (and unluckily all the same), her stammering is cut off by the woman inhaling sharply and burying her face in one of her hands, the other gripping the fabric of her dress around her abdomen so hard that Adella can hear her knuckles crack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wants to move forward and offer her something- a hand in comfort, words of encouragement, </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but finds herself paralyzed. Adella wishes not for the first time that she was one of the other Sisters. They were always so much better than her in every way. Surely they would know what to do here…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or would they? Would they even approach a woman like </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Perhaps Adella has made the wrong call. She mentally slaps her own wrist. Foolish Adella, truly, she-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"-ady Saint? Lady Saint!" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adella jumps in surprise. The woman in question seems to have a break in the pain plaguing her, instead looking upon Adella with a concerned look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Are you alright, Lady Saint?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adella flushes with embarrassment. Here she had come check on (and maybe to offer some sort of solace to) this woman, only to cause her to worry instead…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes! Yes, of course, I'm alright, I… I had come to check on </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>, miss…"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Arianna." She fills in. Arianna, then. How quaint, that they might both share such similar names…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Miss Arianna. I am Adella, a simple blood saint. You… you need not address me so formally. But yes, I… are you alright?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Arianna lets out a breathless laugh and turns her gaze a bit away from Adella, leaning heavily against the back of the chair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I've certainly felt better. Ever since things changed outside, I've had these </span>
  <em>
    <span>awful</span>
  </em>
  <span> pains. Surely it's not just me…?" The last part she mutters mostly to herself, leaving Adella to strain her ears to hear. But then Arianna shakes her head, turning back to look at Adella. "But there is no need to worry about me, dear. Besides… I'm sure the good church wouldn't want you worrying about someone like me." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Arianna offers her a smile, though it doesn't quite meet her eyes. But Adella stubbornly shakes her head in return.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The Healing Church would never turn their backs on someone in need, no matter their status. I… I can not offer much, but I still wish to-" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Arianna cuts her off with a short laugh, though Adella is not entirely sure why she laughs. Arianna shakes her head, then opens her mouth- perhaps to say something, but a groan of pain comes out instead and she clutches her abdomen again. Adella jumps back at first, but with a deep breath steels herself and crouches before the other woman.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I-I do not have much medical expertise, but..." </span>
  <em>
    <span>None</span>
  </em>
  <span> outside of blood healing, in fact, but Arianna does not need not know this. "Where does it hurt?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"All here. My stomach, I think. That's where it's centered." Arianna takes a deep breath. "It feels like- like- I don't know. It just hurts." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I-I see…" As expected, Adella can't do much here. But, well, she does have one thing… at least she should. She hopes the hulking brutes hadn't broken it when they were so roughly handling her…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She grabs her satchel from where it sat mostly abandoned on her side- how could she have forgotten about it? She should have checked earlier. The dull ache of this abnormal hunt must have made it slip her mind. Blood Saints all carry around emergency empty vials, should a patient be in need outside the walls of the church or a hunter not have any of their own. The small blade to bleed herself sits inside along with the thankfully uncracked or shattered vials she needed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, as she begins readying the equipment, Arianna's hand shoots out and covers her own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Lady S- Adella, I cannot ask this of you. Surely it is-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Please." Adella blurts. "Allow me to help you. It may not do much, but… it is all I have to offer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She feels helpless. Truly, this </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> all she has. If she can not help one simple woman, what use is she? It makes her swallow hard. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It must show, because Arianna slowly pulls her hand away and relents. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adella’s thankful for it, because the back of her hand practically burns where Arianna had touched it. She’s unsure if the sensation is her own imagination, or if the woman was simply that hot to the touch. Possibly from her ailment? She might be trying to sweat whatever it is out… oh, how desperately Adella wishes she knew anything more about this sort of thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead of voicing any of this, she does her best to offer the other woman comfort.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It will help numb your pain.” She assures. At least, it will for a while. She’ll likely have to do repeat treatments until sunrise, where they can get her to a proper healer, but she doesn’t voice that either. Arianna had barely agreed to allow this one injection- Adella decides to mention it later, once she’s dosed and feeling better. She won’t be able to reject Adella’s help once she realizes how, well, helpful it is.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adella rests the blade against her skin and takes a subtle breath before slicing in. She doesn’t flinch- she’d long been trained out of that. Flinching tends to make patients feel nervous, after all. Carefully, she funnels her blood into the vial until it reaches a height she deems acceptable. She’d been doing this nearly her whole life, so she knows exactly how deep to cut and where. It’s almost like breathing or walking to her with how second nature it’s become, leaving the process quick and mostly painless. She covers and bandages her wound with minimal blood spillage before piecing the needle onto the now full blood vial. Then she clears her throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um, I’m sure you’re aware, but blood healing is most effective when administered to the thigh. If you don’t mind, could you…?” Adella nervously gestures towards Arianna’s long skirt. “O-of course, if such a thing would make you uncomfortable, I can do my best to-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before she finishes reassuring Arianna that she doesn’t need to lift her dress for her, the woman is leaning down and bunching the fabric up in her hands. Adella tries not to inhale too hard, or stop breathing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will that suffice?” Arianna asks. Adella almost forgets to answer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Y… yes, thank you.” She pauses awkwardly. She has no idea what to say next- apologize in advance for touching her? Surely a doctor need not apologize for simply treating a patient, right? She’d never done it before treating people in the same way, but this somehow feels different.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, merciful Gods preserve me.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Adella opts to say nothing, biting her lip, and instead reaches out to steady a grip on the other woman’s thigh as gently as she can to line up her shot. The skin is hot against her own, and Adella is once again unsure if it’s herself or Arianna who feels like they’re burning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Blood goes in slowly- sure, hunters can simply stab themselves and push it all in at once, but regular people are far more delicate. It leaves her a bit too much time to think, and for her eyes to wander.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Arianna’s skin is pale, but not as pale as Adella’s. Bruises stand out against her skin, more appearing the higher up her gaze trails until they all vanish underneath the remaining, bunched up fabric of her skirt. All vaguely hand-shaped or finger sized, which makes her throat dry. She’s once again reminded of this woman’s occupation, but where another member of the church might find disgust at the sight, it makes Adella quite… sad, instead. Arianna had been nothing but kind- she surely didn’t deserve to be treated so… brutishly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She almost reaches out to touch one before remembering herself. How terribly rude it would be! Not only to point out such things, but to be so bold as to touch her so tenderly… Adella mentally slaps her own wrist again for her behavior. She glances up, momentarily worried that Arianna might be staring right through her, but the woman’s eyes are thankfully closed. Her body noticeably untenses the longer time goes on- the effects of the blood healing already making themselves clear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the vial is finally empty and Adella removes the needle, quickly covering the injection spot with a handkerchief, Arianna lets out a sigh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, thank goodness. That </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> help. Finally, a break in the pains…” She lets out a breathless laugh. “I have to thank you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adella shakes her head, smiling a bit as relief courses through her. She hadn’t been useless, then...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you don’t have to thank me. I did what any upstanding member of the church would have.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Arianna hums, seeming unconvinced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m thanking you anyways, dear. It’s been an awful hunt- but I’m glad to have a lady like yourself around.” She looks like she’s going to say something else, but a yawn cuts her off. When her eyes reopen, they’re slightly glazed over- a mix of exhaustion and the blood, Adella assumes. “Gods, but I’m tired.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go ahead and rest.” Adella insists. “I will be here to provide any more blood you may need.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>Will</span>
  </em>
  <span> need, likely, but again Adella keeps it to herself. Not that she thinks Arianna would have noticed if she said it, considering her eyes are already sliding shut. She sighs again, sounding far more content than earlier. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re heaven sent, darling. Truly.” She sounds so earnest in a way Adella didn’t expect. She can feel herself flush, which she’s glad Arianna doesn’t see. Instead, she tentatively reaches out and places a comforting hand over the other’s. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Goodnight, Arianna. May your sleep be restful…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Arianna nods off very quickly, taking what must be less than a minute to fall into what Adella hopes will be a peaceful sleep. Despite the confirmation her work is done for now, she lingers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She could return to her spot, but, well… surely it would be easier to keep an eye on her patient from here? Something tells her Arianna wouldn’t mind- far too kind, she is… or if there wasn an issue with it, she would certainly tell her so. Until then… there was nothing to do but wait, then. Adella moves from crouched directly in front of the woman to beside her chair, tucking her legs comfortably under herself before gazing up at her again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She still looks a bit sickly, as expected, but her face is lovely still. Adella finds herself tracing her gaze over her cheekbones and her chin, taking in her appearance. Her hair is clearly well cared for, and her dress is a lovely shade that Adella doesn’t see often in Yharnam. Crafted from out of town, then? She tucks the thought away to ask about later. It’s terribly presumptuous to assume Arianna will want to speak casually with her, but she holds onto the hope she will anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With that, she finally breaks her gaze away from the sleeping woman. Clasping her hands around her rosary, she begins to pray in silence. For Arianna’s recovery, for herself, for Yharnam… for many things. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Adella isn’t sure when she dozes off, but when she awakens, her head is resting against something soft and warm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She doesn’t rise for a moment, too comfortable to even think about doing so. She even pushes her face into her pillow a bit stubbornly, allowing herself to chase a few more minutes of respite. Her head aches just as it had when she awoke earlier, but it feels somehow easier to ignore this time. It’s only when she feels her warm pillow shift that she remembers where she was last and shoots upright.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Arianna jumps, clearly not expecting Adella to have bolted awake like a startled cat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! Oh, heavens, forgive me, I must have-” Adella stumbles over her words, desperate to apologize and find an excuse for her horrible manners. Surely the other woman must think her tactless to have fallen asleep, and to have slept </span>
  <em>
    <span>on</span>
  </em>
  <span> her of all things! Arianna is quick to cut her off with a laugh, however.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s quite alright, dear. The least I could do was let you rest a bit more comfortably, as you did for me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looks about the same as she did when Adella last looked at her, with the exception that her eyes shine with a considerable amount more mirth. Good, then, she was feeling better… still, Adella can’t help feel dreadfully embarrassed about her previous sleeping position. Her fellow Sisters would surely laugh at her if they could see her now… falling asleep on one of her patients, of all things! </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Besides,” Arianna continues, “I wouldn’t have put your head there if I’d minded it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, Adella is going to die. She’s going to die of mortification on the night of the hunt instead of the scourge. She feels her face burst ablaze, which makes Arianna laugh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I apologize- I don’t mean to tease you. You’d fallen asleep against the arm of the chair, which I’m sure would have left you with an awful crick in your neck. How could I leave my dear savior to such a fate?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adella wants to protest that Arianna </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely </span>
  </em>
  <span>does want to tease her, and is continuing to do so by saying the things she does, but she can’t find herself to do so. Saying that would be far too playful (or accusatory?) with this woman she’d only just met. Some of the older blood saints used to do something similar to her, but she had known them well. With Arianna, it’s all untread ground. She has absolutely no idea how to go forward.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adella clears her throat, but the sound comes out forced and makes her flinch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s… it’s quite alright. You’re too kind, truly... such a kindness was not necessary.” She pauses for a moment that she hopes isn’t too awkward. “How is your pain? Still manageable, I hope?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very much so. I’ve barely had any pains since I woke. Though, I’m unsure how long either of us slept…” She looks like she’s going to twist and look at the exists, but decides against it. Instead, she turns her gaze back to Adella. Adella isn’t sure how to feel under her attention- flustered, for sure. She nervously twists her rosary around her hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m pleased! I’m glad I could be of assistance… I felt just terrible, hearing you in pain like that…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Arianna hums.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re quite the odd one, you know.” Ah, so Adella </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>doing as bad with this as she thought she was. She flinches, which makes Arianna shake her head. “Oh, don’t take it the wrong way. I mean that in a good way, dear.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adella is </span>
  <em>
    <span>especially</span>
  </em>
  <span> unsure how to respond to that. She almost clears her throat again before realizing she’d just done so and would seem even odder to Arianna if she did it again, so she designates to simply twist her hands together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then, thank you, I suppose…”  Adella chews the inside of her lip as they fall to silence. Trying to hide the fact she’s taking a deep breath to steady herself, Adella shifts her sitting position and turns her gaze up to Arianna again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If… if you don’t mind me asking, where did you get your dress? I don’t see that color often in Yharnam.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, this old thing?” Arianna looks down at herself, taking a fistful of her skirt fabric and holding it almost appraisingly. “It’s a family heirloom- afraid I’m not quite sure where it originates from. Quite lovely though, isn’t it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, very! It… suits you. Though I admit, I know very little of fashion and the like…” She’d worn naught but the Healing Church’s robes her whole life. Curiosity always settled inside her when she’d see the various garbs worn by ladies outside the church, but she’d never had any of her own. Her sense of aesthetics in clothing is likely not the same as the typical Yharnamites, but Arianna simply laughs again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My dress was probably made centuries ago. I can’t claim to be any sort of expert myself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adella gives her a giggle of her own. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Holding conversation with Arianna is… well, far easier than Adella expected. The two of them prattle on about all sorts of things. Mundane things, but things nonetheless. For the first time since the night and the hunt began, Adella almost feels </span>
  <em>
    <span>normal</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Oh, how she wants to spend the rest of the night like this, but exhaustion pulls at her again. It’s terribly odd- she’d never had any sort of issue with staying awake, but nothing about tonight truly is normal, she knows. She can feel it in her bones, a crawling sensation lurking under her skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A yawn escapes her mid-sentence and she watches Arianna’s eyes shimmer with amusement. Her face is so expressive that Adella can’t help but watch every movement and put to memory every twitch of her brow or shift of her lips. It’s a fixation she’s not entirely sure how to explain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How about we speak again later, hmm? I believe that my savior is far more tired than she’d like to let on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Forgive me, I’ve no idea why I-” Another yawn from her traitorous body cuts her off. Arianna simply shakes her head, patting her lap where Adella had woken up earlier. Adella pauses for a moment, then presses her head against the side of her chair. She feels the rumble of Arianna’s laughter more than she hears it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Goodnight, Adella.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adella attempts to respond, but finds that unnatural, dreamless sleep claims her before she can.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It continues on this way for some time. Adella is unable to stop herself from dozing off, in however short bursts, and when she wakes the two of them have pleasant conversation. She has to administer more of her blood treatment upon one awakening, but Arianna otherwise seems to hold stable. Her body still shows signs that something is ravaging her, but she at least is not feeling the effects. Or, if she is, she’s able to pretend she isn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s a calming sight for Adella. She isn’t sure how much chaos she could handle inside the chapel with the night ravaging the outside...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Each time, Arianna insists on letting her use her lap as a pillow. Adella denies at first, but after the first few times of waking up with her head there anyways, she gives in. She’s so embarrassed she thinks it’ll be impossible to fall asleep, but in truth, it comes far easier than she could have imagined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s something wrong. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adella is barely awake when she registers it- first of all, her position is entirely different then she fell asleep in. Rather than gently kneeled and resting on Arianna’s lap, she’s curled up on the hard, cold floor. And when Adella rises, Arianna herself-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Is gone. And in the seat she’d never seen Arianna walk away from is covered in blood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Terror grips Adella in a rush. She scrambles to her feet, heart hammering. The blood drips off the chair and into an even larger pool. It’s something Adella’s sure makes no sound, but one that she hears as loud as a church bell. The blood is not solitary, however. Smaller pools and bloodied footsteps trail off, leading… somewhere.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looks around, desperate. The other inhabitants of the chapel don’t even seem to have noticed, save for the… well, she actually doesn’t know what to call him. He was here before any of them, she knows, but aside from that she knows absolutely nothing about him. But whoever he is, he twists his hands nervously. Adella tries to steady herself and calls out to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me- what… what happened? Where is Arianna?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He jumps, clearly not having expected Adella to speak to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! You’re- the ‘oly woman, right? I-I don’t quite know… I smelt blood, and then she ran off in a ‘urry…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adella’s whole body tenses up. In an instant, she’s reminded of her earlier thoughts- thoughts about how if Arianna were turning beastly, the incense would have sent her running.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, heavens…” She breathes. “I- I must... I should...” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He perks up at that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If ya go looking for ‘er, please let me know what ‘appened- and if ye can, bring ‘er back! I’ve been terribly worried, but I can’t exactly go myself...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, of course. I’ll- I’ll bring her back.” At least, she’ll </span>
  <em>
    <span>try</span>
  </em>
  <span>. If there’s anything to bring back at all… </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thought makes her heart clench.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She follows the blood trail to the open door leading deeper inside the chapel. She steps up to it tentatively, peering down the hallway. She takes a breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Arianna?” She calls out softly. No response. Her hands go to her rosary, finding comfort in the familiar feeling against her fingers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The blood continues down the stairs, and into what looks like a small library. It leads through the room, staining the books and papers strewn about the floor a deep red, until it clearly leads her to an opening with a ladder going down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adella walks closer, horrified with herself. What if Arianna had become a beast, just as she originally feared? The buzzing in the back of her head is terribly loud here, away from the incense- away from safety. Despite this, she can’t stop herself from continuing onward. She clutches her rosary for a moment before pressing a quick kiss to it and letting it go, freeing her hands. She, reasonably, can barely feel it fall against her chest through all her layers, but it feels like the impact could knock the breath out of her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She peers down the opening, but it’s far too dark to gauge what might be below her. Nonetheless, she carefully places her feet against the first bar of the ladder, and then the next. Her hands shake the entire way down. She’s sure she’s going to fall, her arms and legs too weak, unstable, but she makes it safely to the bottom anyways. The sound of herself stepping into the water rings impossibly loud. She's in some sort of the sewer, then?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taking a deep breath, she rests her head against the ladder for a moment to get her bearings. A soft sob draws her attention, and when she turns to face the source, she-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adella’s head feels like it’s splitting open, blooming like a flower- but only for a moment. It passes too fast, making her dizzy, and not fast enough, making her nauseous. When her vision clears, she’s not quite sure what she’s seeing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Arianna is in a chair pressed into the corner, hunched over on herself and sobbing into her hands. Her whole body is shaking, her hands and the hem of her dress coated in blood. And by her feet…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whatever it is, it isn't human. It's exact shape is hard to make out- both because of the darkness and because the buzzing in her head turns to a monstrous roar when she tries to look too hard at it. It practically turns her vision fuzzy. That or it </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually</span>
  </em>
  <span> turns her vision fuzzy- she can’t quite tell. But it’s the less important of the two things in this room at the moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She rushes to Arianna's side, stepping wide around the creature on the floor and desperately reaching out to her. Arianna's skin is clammy to the touch, and Arianna herself doesn't respond to Adella's hands as they roam her, desperately searching for the source of the blood. She tries to brush her sweat and blood soaked hair from Arianna’s face, but the endeavor is stalled by Arianna’s staunch refusal to move her hands from her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Arianna? Arianna, what is-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's a nightmare." Arianna sobs. "This can't be happening, it </span>
  <em>
    <span>can't</span>
  </em>
  <span> be…" A humorless, miserable laugh escapes her throat. Adella feels her chest tighten at the sound. She doesn't know what happened- has absolutely no idea, but whatever was on the floor before them is the cause.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adella doesn't know what to do. She just leans forward, wrapping her arms around Arianna's shoulders and pulling her close in a desperate attempt to comfort the other woman. Arianna goes between sobbing and laughing intermittently, hysterical in Adella's arms. She barely seems to even realize Adella's there holding her, but Adella does not loosen her grip. Unlike before, when she at least could offer her blood, this truly </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>all she can offer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All sorts of emotions rush through her- many that she can’t quite name. It’s a flurry, overwhelming and completely unhelpful. She buries her own face atop Arianna’s head, trying desperately to offer more comfort than she can. Her heart is pounding, which she tries to slow with as many deep inhales as she dares to take. Arianna is her patient, and Adella is a trained blood saint. She can’t allow herself to panic. If she herself is unable to be calm, how could she ever coax Arianna to do the same?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amidst her thoughts, something draws her gaze downward- something she can’t find herself to fight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stares at the creature. It feels like her own brain is pounding against her skull. Despite the desperate urge to turn away, she can't tear her gaze from it. It squeaks almost adorably at her, begging for attention, but the sound only makes her angry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anger. That's what it is. Whatever this… this </span>
  <em>
    <span>abomination</span>
  </em>
  <span> is, it's clearly the cause of Arianna's horrendous suffering. How could she not be angry with it? The crushing, desperate feeling grows inside her, threatening to spill outward. It feels like her own pupils are vibrating against the rest of her eyes- she doesn't know what the thing on the floor is, only that she wants it </span>
  <em>
    <span>gone.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>More than ever before, Adella is aware of the knife she used to bleed herself earlier tucked in her satchel. Could </span>
  <em>
    <span>it</span>
  </em>
  <span> bleed, she wonders? She wants to find out. She wants so very desperately to find out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It's the sound of footsteps that stop her before she can. Finally she finds herself able to rip her eyes away from it, clutching Arianna closer to herself as if she can provide some sort of shield to the inconsolable woman from whatever may be approaching. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she makes out the familiar form, she relaxes as much as she possibly can for her situation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The hunter descends the same ladder she had. When they stand fully at the bottom, she nearly sobs in relief. Someone who might be able to </span>
  <em>
    <span>help</span>
  </em>
  <span>. In the darkness and hidden by their mask, she can’t make out their expression- are they as horrified and confused as she is? Or with whatever is happening outside the chapel, is this sight nothing compared to those horrors? Personally, she can’t imagine anything more terrifying than this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, brave hunter, please,” She begs. “help her, please- do something… anything!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They step closer. She still cannot see their expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the sun rises Adella is the one who leads them out of the chapel. With Arianna’s arm thrown over her shoulder, Adella practically drags the both of them into the sunlight. The old woman follows, looking barely cohesive as she had in hours, and the man at least looks a bit less prickly. It’s a small comfort.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The much larger comfort is the still breathing woman in her arms. She doesn’t know what the hunter did with the… creature, only that they carried it out and after a while, Arianna finally became coherent enough that Adella was able to coax her back up the ladder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They spent the last hour of the night in a heap on the floor of the chapel, Adella clutching Arianna against her chest in the hopes she could do anything to help her. It’d been longer than any other hour of the night, she’s sure. She was aware of every ticking second, Arianna’s hands fisted in the back of her robes and her tears soaking the front of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The good hunter- there’s no sign of them now, but the oppressive howl Adella hadn’t even realized was present in Yharnam is simply… gone. The buzzing in her head from the night of the hunt was gone, of course, but that something else she’d never noticed was gone as well. Her head almost feels </span>
  <em>
    <span>too </span>
  </em>
  <span>empty, but at the same time, her thoughts feel more clear then she thinks they ever have been. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Need any help?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The voice startles her out of her thoughts. Another hunter had met them outside- Eileen, Adella thinks she called herself. A friend of their friendly hunter. She shakes her head. Sure, Adella isn’t exactly fit for this- Arianna is heavy in her spindly arms and she’s barely managing to keep them both upright, but the idea of letting go of Arianna makes her tense up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s someone still inside- I’m afraid I don’t know his name. He might need you more.” The chapel dweller, she means. It’s all he called himself when she asked. Eileen simply nods, turning to face the chapel again and leaving them to continue their stumble out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Arianna, for the first time since they started moving, turns her gaze upwards. She laughs a bit, though it sounds weak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, look at you.” She says softly to the sunrise. “I was starting to think I’d never see you again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adella understands the sentiment. It feels like it’s been decades, rather than a single night. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She keeps them moving, dragging them to the edge of the old fountain and setting Arianna down gently before practically collapsing next to her. Arianna immediately leans against her and Adella finds herself doing the same.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The morning- it doesn’t feel like the regular morning after any regular hunt. How many others had made it? They couldn’t be the only ones... could they? The streets sound empty- she remembers, at the end of every hunt prior to this one, how she could hear the march of the church’s hunters going down the street, the ringing of the cathedral’s bell…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead, their only sign the hunt is over is the sunrise just over the horizon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Healing Church… their help never arrived.” Adella finds herself saying it before she even thinks about it. She isn’t sure what to think- she’d been so sure they were going to save them all. How could she not have been? They had every other time before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Arianna doesn’t respond. Adella’s sort of grateful for it- she doesn’t know what she wants to hear at the moment. Instead, Arianna reaches her hand out and takes Adella’s in her own. Adella hesitates, then threads their fingers together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hears the song of birds in the distance. Not horrible, terrifying, oversized crows- birds. She can’t remember the last time Yharnam was quiet enough for her to hear birdsongs from the surrounding forests.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s a bittersweet realization that Adella doesn’t entirely know how to feel about. She just closes her eyes, taking in the warmth of the sunlight against her face and the warmth of the woman at her side.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>aaand done! it took me far longer to get chapter 2 done than i expected, but im pretty happy overall with how things came out. thank you to everyone who read this far and thank you for those who left kudos and kind words! they really meant everything, theyre what got me to push through a section i was stuck on and finish this.</p><p>also im bad at ao3 and theres two end notes on this chapter and i dont know why. whoops</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i'll hopefully end up writing a continuation on this from where it ends off? ive got plans and a bit over 1500 words written for it, but it's going to take me some time because im not entirely sure about quite a few aspects but. hopefully you, my reader, have enjoyed this! im blowing you a kiss in thanks for reading it at all even if you didnt</p></blockquote></div></div>
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